Banh Mi Chicken Rice Bowl

Went out to lunch, had a Banh Mi sandwich. Best sandwich ever and had to be recreated.

A billion banh mi sandwiches on google, damn! Have to come up with something else. Chicken Rice Bowl disguised as a banh mi sandwich?

Score!

That was my inspiration for this recipe. The sandwich was off the charts and the only thing I’m missing on mine is the crusty baguette. The chicken is marinated with Chinese five spice which might just be my favorite spice ever. It should be called sensational spice, or crack spice.

I’ve always been a strict white chicken meat eater, but that sandwich made me realize just how flavorful the thigh meat is. How come nobody in my family told me this? Now I’ll have to fight my kids for it when I roast a chicken.

A key ingredient in a simple banh mi sandwich are the daikon carrots and cucumber. These are pickled and although I took a pickle shortcut, they still worked like a dream. Instead of shredding the veggies I diced them and quickly pickled them in a rice wine vinegar and sugar solution.

Save yourself some time and buy frozen brown rice. There’re so many great brands, some organic on the market now, I rarely boil rice anymore. I always screwed it up anyway.

Add bunches of fresh cilantro and some sliced red chili for maximum heat.